9. Azazel

Chapter nine

Azazel

A Weird Occurrence

T he field of green grass, flowers, and trees were before me in all its splendidness and I felt the warmth of the sun's rays caressing my flesh. So peaceful. The beauty of this world, left untouched by human hands was simply magnificent. I couldn't believe there was once a time when I wanted to see it all burn. To see an ocean of blood drown out all living beings. Those days were long gone. I could feel the breeze brush over my skin, so gentle, like a soft kiss. I leaned my head back on the bench and closed my eyes.

When I opened them again, it was nighttime and the stars were bright in the sky. How odd when it had been a bright, sunny day only a second ago. How long had I been sitting on this bench in this park? Where was I? I sat up and looked around to see a man walking toward me. No, not a man, Rai, only he was an adult. He didn't look the way he did when I'd last seen him at sixteen. No, he was breathtaking. I rose, but he held his hand out, stopping me.

"Sit," he said and I obeyed.

Following his command felt so natural for me, and the authority in his masculine voice touched me in various ways. He was a man now, a warrior.

"Our time is near," he said. "But I will not call you."

I scoffed. "Why? Because I'm a demon?"

He nodded.

"Don't your kind believe that your God is infallible? He made me your Champion, did he make a mistake, finally, in your eyes?" I asked.

"Ten thousand years, you have hurt the people of this world. How can I ever call upon you?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes. "Your view is immature. You feel that we are evil. Demons are able to thrive because humans are weak and envious. They are greedy and cruel and that's why they seek what we offer."

Rai nodded. "And that is why I can't accept you as my Champion."

My eyes opened and I blinked several times as I lay in my bed. I sat up and looked around to see that I was, in fact, in my own bedroom. I sighed heavily and ran my fingers through my hair. What the hell was that? Was it a dream? Demons didn't dream. In all of my years in existence, never once had I had a dream. What did it mean? Was it really Rai I was speaking to or was it my idea of him?

I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and looked at the date. December, 12th, 2036. It was Rai's birthday, his twenty-fourth to be exact. Was that dream a part of him being Awakened for the final time? That last stage of him becoming immortal and gifted the ability to command me?

What an odd occurrence to dream at all and to dream of him. I needed to speak to Terri. I dialed her number and it rang for a while before she answered.

"Are you kidding me?" she complained. "Do you know what time it is?"

Three in the morning.

"I do, but I wouldn't have called if it wasn't important. I had a dream," I said.

"And?"

I huffed. "Demons don't dream, Guardian. But I dreamed of Rai. He was a grown man in my dreams... and very delectable, I might add."

"Have you dreamed of him before?" Terri asked, and I could tell she was taking me seriously now.

"No, never. I don't dream," I reminded her.

"Did you two have a conversation?"

"We did and he was being a self-righteous jerk, on par for your kind."

I could hear her eyes rolling.

"I'm sure you were being a jerk, but that dream is normal. All Guardians and their Champions have that introduction. In the dream, it's where you can get a bit familiar."

"So, it's supposed to happen?" To know that it was normal where we were concerned put me at ease. I didn't know if angels dreamed, but if they didn't and they had that one dream, then it made sense.

"Yes. Some of them are peaceful and others can have conflicts. You'll just have to get Rai to trust you," Terri said.

"Do you trust me?"

"I trust you to protect him, yes. I trust you to have patience with him. Remember, he's lived a very sheltered life. He's going to be a test to himself and to you."

"If he looks anything like he did in that dream... I'll have all of the patience in the world if it means I can get him into my bed."

"And on that note, goodnight," Terri said, then hung up on me.

I laughed at the cell phone, then placed it back on the table. I laid back down and closed my eyes. As a demon, I didn't need to sleep often, but tonight, I was exhausted, so the rest came easily.

Very well, Rai... challenge accepted.